Over time, gravity and certain health conditions can cause damage to the eyelids, making them sag or become puffy and baggy. These eyelid conditions are more than disfiguring – they can also cause vision problems.

In a condition medically known as dermatochalasis, there is excess skin in the upper and/or lower eyelids. It causes a baggy, puffy appearance around the eyes that can limit one’s field of vision and greatly reduce peripheral vision. Some people get baggy lids through heredity, but most acquire it over time due to aging.

Even if they don’t impact your vision, baggy upper or lower lids can cause you too look more tired and haggard than you feel.

With age-related ptosis, time and gravity create drooping upper eyelids that drape over the cornea, blocking vision and creating a tired, sluggish appearance.

If you have one of these disabling or disfiguring conditions, we have good news. Lake Eye Associates’ Board Certified Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Dr. Shelby Terpstra is highly experienced in cosmetic and reparative eyelid surgery, clinically known as blepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty is a safe, minimally invasive outpatient surgery designed to restore clear vision and impart a more naturally youthful and refreshed appearance. For patients whose eyelid problems are causing them to suffer from limited vision, ongoing irritation or other health problems, blepharoplasty may be covered by insurance. “Looking more refreshed and attractive is a happy consequence of a much-needed health procedure for many patients,” says Dr. Terpstra. “Most people report seeing, looking and feeling better than they have in years.”

For others, blepharoplasty is a purely cosmetic procedure sought out to lend a more youthful, relaxed and alert appearance. “It’s gratifying that a relatively quick outpatient surgery can have such
a dramatic effect on one’s appearance,” says Dr. Terpstra.
For many men and women, blepharoplasty is truly rejuvenating. “When patients see their before and after pictures, they’re amazed by the difference. And I’m glad to be able to help restore vision, self-confidence and quality of life to so many. It’s part of what makes my job so rewarding.”

If you suffer from a functional or cosmetic eyelid problem and would like to know if blepharoplasty might be right for you, call Lake Eye Associates at 352-750-2020.